In a previously known gas turbine power generation plant, fuel gas is produced from solid fuel such as bio fuels, peat and lignite by means of gasification. The produced fuel gas is passed on to a combustor upstream of the gas turbine unit which in turn is coupled to an electric generator as well as to a compressor unit for the supply of compressed combustion air to the combustor.
Lock hoppers are typically used for feed of today's solid fuel gasifiers. An inert gas, such as nitrogen, is used for fire and self-ignition protection purposes. The solid fuel most often is subjected to a mechanical disintegration by means of a tumbling bed or the like, and before filtering, the produced fuel gas is cooled.
As energy recovery from the gasifier operation it is previously known to transfer heat extracted therefrom to a separate steam turbine for power production.